A family’s old oil painting has turned out to be a lost work by Renaissance painter Abel Grimmer worth £20,000.The artwork has been with them for generations.The piece had been passed down for centuries without the owners – who want to remain anonymous – ever realising who it was by.
But after being sent for valuation experts revealed it to be a lost work by the great Flemish painter Grimmer – and very valuable. Art specialists Woolley and Wallis revealed the find, adding the owners were unaware of the artist behind it.Victor Fauvelle said: “Initially we were sent photographs of the painting by a client who wanted to ascertain who it was by and what it might be worth.
“On first look at the photos the composition seemed to be very typical of Abel Grimmer but we were not hopeful that it was genuine, as works by him are very rare.We felt sure therefore, that this would turn out to be merely a copy.
“In order to research it further we went to The National Art Library in London to go through the catalogue of Abel Grimmer and his father, Jacob Grimmer who was also an artist.The picture in question is described in detail in the catalogue and our picture fitted the description perfectly.
“Following this exciting discovery the clients brought the picture to us and we could tell immediately that it was a period work from the paint surface which had the unmistakable luminescence of this great period of Flemish late Renaissance painting.We pride ourselves on the quality of our research and rediscovering a lost work such as this, is one of the most thrilling aspects of the job.”
Abel Grimmer was an important figure in the development of Flemish landscape painting during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods working in the tradition of his father Jacob Grimmer and Pieter Brueghel but with his own personal and distinctive style.His landscapes cleverly combined detailed natural elements, with a strong sense of atmosphere, often in rural settings, with an emphasis on seasonal changes, which was truly innovative for his time.
As well as this his paintings demonstrated a keen comprehension of light and colour, helping to create a sense of realism and depth to his works.His approach resulted in a fresh approach to landscape compositions which marked a transition from the Medieval, more symbolic depictions of nature to a more observational and naturalistic approach.
Grimmer’s landscape works strongly influenced later generations of Flemish painters particularly in the development of genre scenes and landscape art.His work can be found in museums including the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, the Groeningemuseum, Bruges, the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC and the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham.
Victor said: “We were told by the family that it had belonged to an ancestor that lived in Brussels.While they were completely unaware of its importance and certainly had no idea who the famed painter was, they passed it down through the different generations of their family for posterity.”
The owners live in Hampshire. The rediscovered painting titled A Landscape with Peasants near a Lakeside Castle is a fine example of Abel Grimmer’s work and is typical of his small-scale landscapes, populated with charming vignettes of rural life.
Many of these works formed series, such as the Four Seasons, or the Twelve Months and it is thought that this work was probably one of a pair with a depiction of Winter.The oil on canvas is being auctioned by Woolley and Wallis on Wednesday March 5 with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000.